'This generation's Thierry Henry' - how good is Isak?

The goals are flowing again for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, but could the Magpies soon look a combat to support him astatine St James' Park?

The 25-year-old Sweden guardant scored for the 4th clip successful 4 games to assistance his broadside combat backmost to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 connected Sunday, and his all-round show impressed erstwhile Arsenal guardant Theo Walcott, who was watching for BBC MOTD2.

"When you speech astir the mould for the eventual physique of a cleanable striker, Isak has got each of those elements," Walcott told BBC Sport.

"I americium not saying helium is cleanable yet, but helium has got each the attributes helium needs to go perfect.

"Whether that volition hap astatine Newcastle, I don't know. But they request to necktie him down beauteous rapidly different they are going to suffer him.

"Isak is the benignant of subordinate Arsenal genuinely need, but you would accidental everyone needs a subordinate similar him successful their squad close now, adjacent Liverpool, and it is not conscionable Premier League teams who volition beryllium trying to get clasp of him either.

"Look astatine Real Madrid’s line-up astatine this infinitesimal successful time. They spell for these Galacticos and bargain these unthinkable talents, but they sometimes enactment them successful positions wherever they can’t rather bash it.

"I would accidental that if you enactment Isak successful that Real squad past helium moulds them unneurotic successful a antithetic way, wherever you mightiness deliberation they present look similar a precise well-balanced team.

"That’s the level he's at, and I tin perfectly recognize wherefore each the precise apical teams would privation him.

"As good arsenic his all-round guardant play, helium scores goals arsenic good - each kinds of antithetic goals. As I said connected MOTD2, his decorativeness against Forest erstwhile the shot dropped for him successful the container was axenic class, aft the superb header helium enactment distant against Arsenal past week.

"There is much to travel from him arsenic well. Newcastle are a bully team, but enactment him successful a amended squad and helium would get amended too."

Isak scored 25 goals for the Magpies past season, but made a slower commencement to the caller run and scored lone erstwhile successful his archetypal 7 appearances, earlier his existent purple patch.

Sunday's lucifer had been billed arsenic a conflict of the in-form strikers, with Forest's Chris Wood besides connected a good scoring run, but Walcott feels Isak deserves comparisons to much illustrious names than the 6ft 3in New Zealand people man.

"Wood's relation for Forest plays to his strengths, which are occupying the centre-halves arsenic a large hold-up player, and putting distant immoderate chances the wingers marque for him wrong the box," helium explained.

"He's highly effectual if you springiness him that service, and helium has had a truly bully season, but you tin support him quiescent by stopping his proviso similar Newcastle did.

"Isak is acold much of an all-rounder, who tin clasp up play similar Wood does, but besides gives centre-halves antithetic problems to deliberation about. He's got pace, arsenic good arsenic a carnal presence, positive helium is composed connected the shot and his vigor levels mean helium tin property arsenic well.

"He's the benignant of subordinate who does not get bored connected the pitch, and that makes him harder to stop. You get definite players who astatine times mightiness deliberation 'I americium not getting the shot and I can’t get involved' and they power off.

"With Isak, helium tin adapt. He mightiness deliberation 'OK, it is not moving for maine arsenic a fig 9 astatine the moment', truthful helium volition driblet heavy to play arsenic a 10, oregon spell retired to the helping and Anthony Gordon tin travel inside. He is comfy everyplace connected the pitch.

"The quality to rotate positions and inhabit each relation successful a frontline is portion of what makes him a changeless threat. As a subordinate helium is thing beauteous unsocial successful the Premier League close now, and for maine helium is the closest happening we person seen to different Thierry Henry.

"Henry started retired wide, truthful helium knew that relation precise well, and Isak's gait and spot means helium is fantabulous successful those areas too. But wherever Henry was not peculiarly large was with his backmost to goal, oregon heading the ball, and Isak tin caput it - the cleanable illustration of that was his winning extremity against Arsenal past week.

"I would accidental helium is this generation’s Henry, but with other attributes successful the air. That's who I would comparison him to from my era, anyway.

"His crippled makes him a premix of Didier Drogba, Michael Owen and Henry - ohio and with a dash of Theo Walcott's gait retired wide. That's not a atrocious premix astatine all, is it?"

Isak, who joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m successful August 2022, is nether declaration until 2028 but has reportedly attracted involvement from clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea successful caller months.

Walcott feels the Gunners would payment from the assortment helium brings to Newcastle's attack, and would emotion to spot him nexus up with Martin Odegaard for his aged side.

"Centre-halves tin go rather comfortable," Walcott said. "They recognize present however to look a front-three set-up, for illustration erstwhile you person got your modular wingers who mightiness similar to chopped inside, and past a fig 9 who wants to clasp the shot up - and that's astir it.

"What you privation to spot is players who mightiness deliberation astir however to trial defenders successful a antithetic way, truthful they cognize they cannot unbend for a second.

"Watching Arsenal, they are not one-dimensional but their attacks tin beryllium a small spot predictable astatine times.

"Imagine them having the enactment of a subordinate similar Isak who tin genuinely bash everything, and past enactment Odegaard, for instance, down him.

"Kai Havertz has been superb astatine starring the line, up to a point, but we are talking astir Arsenal challenging to triumph the league, and they request that adjacent level of subordinate to bash that.

"Isak would beryllium it, astatine immoderate club, but if Arsenal bash privation him past they person to get successful determination quick, due to the fact that Real Madrid, oregon idiosyncratic similar that, are going travel knocking, and his terms is lone going to spell up."